


Captive Captain

by AhkmenrahForever



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Platonic Relationships, Pre-Order 66 (Star Wars), Psychological Torture, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:53:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27687203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AhkmenrahForever/pseuds/AhkmenrahForever
Summary: On an assignment, Captain Rex gets captured by Separatists. While being tortured by Assassin Asajj Ventress, she subtly reveals that the clones may not be as loyal as they once thought.
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex/Ahsoka Tano
Kudos: 68





	Captive Captain

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Wars: The Clone Wars or any character associated with this show or universe as a whole. Any resemblance to canon is purely coincidental. All of the events written are non-canon and are imagined scenarios of my own.

Rex woke up with perhaps the strongest headache he had ever felt. He groaned as he opened his eyes, only to realize that he was not in his barracks, the medbay, or even on the battlefield. He was on a ship, and it was not a _Venator_.

Dazed, he noticed that he was not lying down, but rather, strapped to a device that he had seen used to torture and kill both jedi and clones.

He was aboard a Separatist frigate.

He glanced around and noticed how small the room was. There wasn’t room for much more than himself, the machine he was strapped to, and perhaps a few B1 battle droids. He looked down and saw that he was not in his GAR issued armor, but his blacks, and his armor, including his helmet, was nowhere to be found.

_What the hell happened?_

He tried to think back to the last thing he remembered. The battlefield… a planet from the Outer Rim… Separatist forces pressing their attack on him and his men…

Explosion.

 _The damn Seppies must have found me while I was unconscious,_ he reasoned, cursing at himself for allowing himself to be so foolish.

_I need to get out of here._

After all, who knew what the Separatists would do to him? Torture him for information? Try to get him to turn against the jedi? Use their force mind tricks to weasel their way into his head?

He wouldn’t let it happen.

Using all the strength he could muster, he pushed forward, trying to escape, however, all he received in turn was a shock painful enough to prevent him from trying again. He cried out in pain, and next thing he knew, an ugly, bald-headed woman was walking into his prison cell, smirking at him.

_Ventress._

“Oh, I wouldn’t try that if I were you,” she said, her smirk growing as she approached him. She grazed his face with her hand, and he immediately pulled away from her touch. “My, you’re quite the specimen,” she continued. “For a clone, I mean.”

“Whatever you want from me, Ventress, you’re not getting it.”

She laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, handsome. I know you won’t do anything willingly.”

Rex narrowed his eyes at her, hiding his fear. She had something planned for him, and he could only imagine what it might be.

“I hear you have some very important friends back on Coruscant. Jedi friends, even.” He turned his head away from her as she stood beside him, not taking her eyes off him. “I thought that perhaps you might like to see them again.”

She smiled widely at him, her hand now on his chin, grabbing him so that he was now staring directly at her. “And what will you do if they don’t come?” He asked, nearly growling at her.

She let go of him and shrugged. “Well then, I guess I’ll just have to make do.”

Suddenly, she was over by the door, allowing two B1 battle droids to walk in and take a place beside the machine Rex was being held in. One of them held a holopad, and he knew that probably meant bad news for him.

She turned back towards him, then opened a hologram. Standing in front of them now was General Skywalker, Windu, Kenobi, and Commander Tano. Rex wished he hadn’t looked Ahsoka directly in the eyes, because the look of fear and pity that spread across her face as she got a look at him would haunt him.

“Hello, _jedi_ ,” she greeted venomously, practically spitting out the word. They both watched as the anger spread across the faces of each of the jedi. “I hope you don’t mind, but I decided to borrow one of your clones.” She shrugged. “If you want him back, I’m afraid you’ll have to come take him from me. I’m quite fond of him actually.”

Once again, she touched his cheek softly, and a wave of calm washed over him. _Stop it, she’s using those damn mind tricks on you. Snap out of it, Captain!_

“Don’t do it, Generals!” He called out. “Leave me! It’s too dangerous.”

Ahsoka spoke up first, not coming at all as a surprise to Rex. “Leave him alone, Ventress!” She shouted. “Do NOT touch him!”

Ventress simply laughed. “Come get him, jedi. If you do not, I have ways of getting him to tell me everything I need to know anyway.” She pointed to the two battle droids, who pressed a button on the holopad.

Pain shot up his body, as the electricity from the shock traveled through him. It was not as painful as it had been before, but he had a feeling that would change if his friends didn’t show up to get him soon.

Still, that was a risk he was willing to take.

 _Better me than them,_ he thought. _Clones are expendable. Jedi are… not._

It was what he had been trained to think since he was able to have coherent thoughts, though, even if it had been his clone brothers that Ventress was threatening, he likely still would have sacrificed himself for them. That’s what he told himself at least.

When the pain ceased, he refused to look back up at them. At his _friends._ At _Ahsoka._ Because he knew what he would see.

All that anger and fear and worry about him. They were going to come rescue him, and they were going to get themselves killed because of it.

Ahsoka couldn’t watch. She couldn’t bare to see her _best friend_ in so much pain, without a single thing she could do about it.

It was all her fault.

Rex had been sent up to the front of the lines down on Felucia, and normally, Ahsoka would accompany him so that him and his men had some cover from a jedi. They were perfectly capable of handling it on their own, of course, as the 501st was known as the best legion in the GAR. Still, having a jedi with them never hurt.

This time, Ahsoka thought it would be smarter to run ahead and scout for further droids instead of sending one of the clones, fearing what the Separatists had planned. She hadn’t realized how many lives she would be putting at stake by doing so.

As soon as the droids noticed her penetrating their army, they shot cannons at them. Shot after shot could be heard as dozens of troopers at a time were killed.

She ordered them to pull back, and it wasn’t until they had fully retreated that she noticed her favorite captain was missing.

Never would she forget the fear and absolute dread that washed over her when she realized what it meant. All the clones knew was that he had been hit, and when the medic, Coric, had run out to help him, he was shot down as well (luckily, he was in the medbay, and both Kix and Boro said he would make a full recovery).

She herself had run after him, completely ignoring the clones pleads for her to come back. She had to find her friend. Even if he was dead, he deserved a proper burial. But there was no sign of his body. None of his armor or weapons had been found either. He had either completely disintegrated or been taken by the Separatists. Either way, Rex was gone.

But he wasn’t.

There he was. Right in front of her. He was okay. He wasn’t dead, he was just…

_ZAP!_

Another cry of pain. She couldn’t bear it. The more pain he felt, the hotter her blood boiled, ready to get her hand on Ventress and any droid that so much as _looked_ at him. No way someone was going to take her best friend away from her, not if she had anything to say about it.

“Twenty-four hours, jedi.”

And the hologram cut out.

There was silence for a few moments.

“Well, what’s the plan?” Ahsoka asked, turning to her master.

“Padawan, by attempting to recue the Captain, you would be walking straight into a trap. It’s not worth the risk,” Master Windu said, speaking as a hologram from Coruscant.

Master Kenobi stroked his beard. “I’m afraid we may be left with no choice. Ventress will find us either way, and it’s best that we be prepared for their attack by striking first.” He didn’t say it, but Ahsoka knew that her grandmaster had become quite attached to the captain, as well. “Besides, if we do not, I fear that they may use him for information.”

“Rex would never give the Separatists any information that would help them!” Ahsoka said, defensively.

“Not willingly, no,” the master agreed.

“Besides, if we can recuse Rex, it’ll be a win-win. We save Rex, we kill Ventress. We leave. Simple!” Anakin replied, and Ahsoka couldn’t help but smile.

Master Windu sighed. “I believe you’re making a mistake. You need to overcome the attachment you have to that captain of yours, Skywalker.” Ahsoka rolled her eyes, but Master Windu caught her, and she knew she was about to get scolded as well. “Don’t roll your eyes, Padawan. You’re more attached to that captain than your master is.”

Anakin, always coming to her aid, crossed his arms. “No, Obi-Wan is right. We need to get to Rex before Ventress can break him. Rex is strong, but I’m not sure how long he can withstand whatever they have planned for him.”

Ahsoka didn’t want to think about what they were going to do to him. The thought of Rex _suffering,_ with nothing she could do about it…

Ventress would regret it if she hurt him.

“Fine. Go retrieve your captain but do be wary. I still suspect you may be walking into a trap,” Master Windu replied, folding his arms.

Master Kenobi nodded in acknowledgement. “Anakin and his padawan specialize in walking into traps, Master Windu.”

Rex had only been alone for what was probably an hour before Ventress came back. He looked up at her, rage burning in his eyes. He knew that Ventress would likely get what she wanted eventually, but he’d be damned if he didn’t try to make her experience hell.

“Did you miss me?” She smirked, and he spit at her. He never thought he’d be grateful for the spitting contests the boys would hold in the barracks, contests that Ahsoka found both gross and fun to watch. He always lost, but then again, no one had ever beaten Hardcase.

She slapped him, snapping him out of his thoughts. He was not in barracks with his platoon. He was on a Separatist frigate, trying to survive.

 _My chances really are slim,_ he thought, grimly, his cheek now starting to burn from the slap.

“Don’t test me, _clone,_ ” she said. She nodded at the droid, who hadn’t left the room, and Rex once again felt the electricity run through his body. He grimaced, but bit his tongue, to not give her the satisfaction of hearing him scream. “I _own_ you!”

The pain finally subsided, and he let out a grunt in relief. Ventress smirked. “Now, you will tell me what I want you tell me, or the pain will keep coming,” she said, grabbing his chin.

Rex narrowed his eyebrows and pulled away from her grasp. “You can torture me all you want, but I will never tell you anything,” he growled.

Of this, he was confident. The Kaminoans had trained them to withstand anything, including torture. They did dozens of pain simulations, the Kaminoans begging them to them tap out, to give up. Rex never did. The clones who did were never seen again.

Ventress laughed. “Silly clone, thinking you’re so loyal to the Republic.”

“Of course I’m loyal to the Republic. A life under democracy would be better than whatever you and your slaves have planned.”

“Hm. If that’s what you really think,” she teased, and Rex had no idea what she was playing at. What made her think that _him_ of all people would betray the Republic? Sure, Slick had, but that was… a long time ago, and he had been corrupted. Rex couldn’t be corrupted. He was trained too well. After all, he was a Captain.

“I’d rather die than join you,” he said.

“That can be arranged,” Ventress replied, stepping away from him. She nodded at the droid, who turned the machine on again. This time, however, the pain was ten times worse than it was before.

Still, Rex did not scream. He did not cry. He let out only a grunt, before biting his tongue. He would not speak. He would not any noise that would make him appear as weak. If Ventress wanted information from him, she was going to have to force it out of him. He would not let her break him.

For a moment, he thought of Ahsoka. He wondered how she was handling all of this. The fear and worry he saw in her eyes was enough to haunt his nightmares for at least the near future. _I’m… sorry, Commander,_ he thought, the fear of failure at the forefront of his mind.

It was the last thought he had before the world around him went black.

Ahsoka stood next to her master on the bridge of the _Resolute,_ but her mind was somewhere else. She knew they had a strong chance of being able to rescue Rex, after all, both the 212th and the 501st were coming along, and she trusted them almost as much as she trusted Anakin; still, she worried about her friend.

 _How would I survive this war without him?_ She wondered. Of course, she knew it wasn’t the “jedi way” to become attached, especially to a clone captain, but she didn’t care. Rex had saved her skin several times in combat, but her attachment to him ran deeper than simply being “combat buddies.” He was the one person she felt that she could go to no matter what. Sometimes, she even worried about discussing her feelings with Anakin. Though most of the time she knew he would understand, she still worried that he would see her differently for some of the things she thought about. With Rex, she never felt insecure or worried. His presence in the force was so comforting, so filled with warmth. There was no one that she felt safer around.

“Hey, Earth to Snips,” Anakin said, bringing her back to reality. He could sense her worry and fear, and she hoped that she hadn’t let her shields down too much. Her feelings for Rex were not something that she wanted Anakin to know about. “It’s okay, Ahsoka. We’re going to get him back,” he said, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She offered him a small smile in return. “I know… I’m just… still a bit wary, I guess.”

He hmphed a bit, clearly suspecting that there was something else going on, but he didn’t push her, sensing her discomfort. “I know. Me too,” he said, and Ahsoka held back her sigh. “You still remember the plan, right?”

“Of course I remember the plan.”

It was partially another one of Anakin’s wild schemes and partially one of Master Kenobi’s grounded plans (the two really were a perfect pair when they were together, and it never failed to amaze Ahsoka how well their tactics worked sometimes). Master Kenobi and the 212th would find and engage Ventress and Anakin would act as a distraction for the droids on board, all while Ahsoka sneaks down and rescues Rex from his prison cell. Which cell he was in was unknown, and that would be up to her and R2D2 to figure out.

She couldn’t let Rex down. This plan had to work.

“You’ll do fine, Snips,” Anakin reassured her, his usually playful tone having gone soft.

She simply nodded.

She closed her eyes and tried to reach out in the Force to feel for Rex’s force signature, just to make sure he was still _alive._ She could feel herself straining, and she nearly gave up - after all, it was important to save her energy for the mission - until she felt him. His warm aura dimmed, though she wasn’t sure if it was because he was far away or because he was weak. Still, he was there. She could _feel_ him.

She didn’t know if it was normal for jedi to be able to feel a clone’s presence in the Force or not. After all, Rex wasn’t force sensitive, and therefore she hadn’t created a force bond with him of any sort. Still, she had memorized the feeling he emitted, and while his was unique, at least to her, she wasn’t sure if it was normal.

Sure, she could feel when a life form around her had passed, or when one she was close to was gone (usually it was a clone, but she could remember a couple times when a jedi she had become acquainted with simply did not exist anymore within the Force), but she was only dully aware of most presences in the Force when they were alive. Unless she was looking for someone, she generally couldn’t tell who was who.

Except Rex.

“Sir, we’re approaching the location that the droid tracked the source of the hologram to.”

“Very good, Cody,” Master Kenobi replied, nodding at the commander.

Ahsoka shook her head and snapped out of her state. Anakin was right. She needed to focus on the mission. She needed to help Rex.

The plan called for Ahsoka and Artoo to be let off the ship first; before they were detected. She would be with nothing but her sabers and her spacesuit for the time being, and she just had to hope that either there was an open entrance to the frigate (which she doubted), Artoo was able to open a door, or that creating an entrance with her lightsaber wouldn’t set off too many alarms. And, if it did, she had to hope that Anakin and Master Obi-Wan were enough of a distraction to let her rescue Rex undetected.

There was a lot of hoping in this plan, which she knew Master Kenobi was not a fan of, but he had faith enough in her that he agreed to the plan anyway.

“Ready, Ahsoka?” Master Skywalker asked her, and as Ahsoka finished putting on her spacesuit, she nodded. She hoped she didn’t look as nervous as she felt. “Rex is counting on you,” he reminded her, and she rolled her eyes.

“Thanks for the encouragement,” she deadpanned, before running over to the escape pod she’d be escaping in.

“See you soon, Commander,” Fives nodded at her as she closed the hatch. She winked at him and waited for him to release the escape pod.

She closed her eyes, trying to feel for Rex in the Force, when she felt herself leave the _Resolute_ behind.

 _There!_ She felt his presence, a bit stronger now that she was closer to him. She wondered if Artoo would even be necessary on this mission if she could simply sense where Rex was. The droid flew behind her escape pod, making it to the frigate before she even had the chance to leave her pod. She ejected herself and tried to stable herself enough in the unrelenting void of space to be able to get herself over to the ship. Artoo was already working on the doors (and she was grateful that she didn’t have to risk making a hole in the ship), and she knew she had to hurry.

She used the Force to propel herself through the void, and though she was unsteady, eventually she landed on the platform that Artoo had found himself on. She waited while he opened the door, and right when it did, she heard alarms start blaring. “I sure hope we didn’t do that,” she said, and began running down the corridor to where she knew Rex was being kept. The astromech didn’t question her, he just followed her.

She stopped suddenly, then took a deep breath.

_There._

She used the Force to open the door, and sure enough, there was Rex. He was strapped to a device that was clearly meant to hold jedi, and she felt her heart squeeze with guilt. His head was slumped forward, and though she knew he wasn’t dead, she still felt him for a pulse.

“C-Commander?” He wheezed, and again, Ahsoka could feel the guilt in her rising. “I thought I told you not to come.”

He shook his head, and Ahsoka couldn’t help but smile. “Come on, Rex, you don’t think I’d actually leave you behind, right?”

She pressed a button on the device, and he tumbled to the ground with a resounding _thud._ She immediately ran over to help him up, and he clutched onto her arm tightly as he stood on shaking legs. “I guess not,” he continued. “You and General Skywalker have cer-“ he grunted in pain as she tried to walk with him- “certainly done crazier.”

She chuckled a bit and tried again to walk with him. He still seemed to be in pain, but being the tough man she knew he was, he bared through it. He limped with her, and she tried to walk back the way she came, but they were suddenly surrounded my battle droids.

“M-my gear,” he said, and Ahsoka sighed.

She tapped on her comm link and relayed the information to Anakin. “Master, we have a problem. I have Rex, but he doesn’t have his gear. His armor and his weapons are missing.”

The droids opened fire on the two, and all Rex could do was attempt to take cover behind the door. She knew how helpless he probably felt, and she knew she needed to get his armor back as quickly as possible. “I’m on it,” her master replied, clearly faring much better than she was. She could only hope that Master Kenobi was having as much luck as Anakin was.

The comm ended, and she turned back to Rex. “Get back inside the room. I don’t need you getting more injured than you already are,” she said, and reluctantly, he nodded at her before retreating back into his small prison cell. She could only hope that he was doing better mentally than he was physically.

She took the droids out with relative ease, but that’s when someone else walked out.

“Rather impressive, Padawan Tano. I see you found your captain with relative ease.”

She couldn’t hold back her surprised gasp. “Dooku!”

He ignited his red saber, and she took her typical defensive position. “I’m afraid, however, that I cannot allow for you to keep him, as I have quite a use for him.”

He attacked her first, moving with elegance, and she found herself comparing Dooku’s movements to those of Master Yoda’s. How curious to think that Dooku had once been the apprentice of perhaps the most skilled jedi in history.

“Hate to break it to you, Dooku, but he’s not yours to keep,” Ahsoka quipped, fighting back with all the strength she could muster.

They kept even with each other, neither making a single mistake that could give the other any sort of advantage. Still, Ahsoka felt herself tiring quickly, and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to keep up with him for much longer.

“Ahsoka!”

They both turned away as they saw Master Skywalker running towards them, Rex’s gear in both of his arms. He threw it into the room that Rex was in and immediately pulled out his lightsaber. “Careful with that!” Rex called back, though they could both sense his gratitude.

Or at least, she assumed that Anakin could sense it.

“You’re outnumbered, Dooku,” her master said, his voice seething with rage.

Dooku only gave him a smile. “Perhaps, but I am not outmatched.”

Anakin shouted and charged at him, though Dooku dodged him with ease. Ahsoka took a defensive stance as Dooku countered Anakin before swinging at her. Both attacks were blocked, but she had confidence that she and her master together had a chance to take out Dooku once and for all.

“Your anger betrays you, Skywalker,” he said smugly, and both Anakin and Ahsoka felt themselves tighten their offensive attack. This man was an absolute fool if he thought he could turn _her_ master.

“Sirs!” Rex called out, now all geared up, twin DC blasters in his hand, aimed right at Dooku.

Anakin once again swung at Dooku, his attacks both consistent and quick. “Rex! Get out of here!” He called back, trying to keep pace with the Sith. “Go help the men!”

Rex nodded. “Yes, sir!”

_Good ol’ Rex._

Both Ahsoka and Anakin tried to keep up with Dooku’s attacks, but he was simply more agile (surprisingly, considering his age) and more skilled. The older man flipped in front of them, before running down the corridor after Rex.

“What’s he after?” Ahsoka asked her master (and friend).

They both ran after him, both curious and concerned. “I’m not sure, Snips,” he replied. “But I don’t wanna wait around to find out.”

Anakin tapped a button on his wrist comm. “Obi-Wan! How’s it going over there?”

“Not so well, I’m afraid,” the man replied. “Ventress has run off again.”

_Figures._

“I hate to say it, but Dooku got away, too,” Anakin said, slowing his pace.

“What? You mean you’re going to just give up?” Ahsoka worried, tired from running, but feeling unwilling to give in.

Her master shook his head. “Ahsoka, you and Obi-Wan go find Rex and the men. Make sure that Dooku and Ventress don’t take anyone else. I have a bad feeling that there’s something Rex that Ventress was trying to find out, and I am not ready for them to get what they wanted.”

Ahsoka had questions, but she didn’t ask. She simply ran. Who knew what Anakin was up to? Besides, she had a job to do, and that was to protect her best friend.

Rex’s legs felt much heavier with the armor on. Still, he had a job to do, and he had been trained for this. Despite his exhaustion, he needed to push on. He couldn’t let the Separatists have what they wanted. Whatever it was that they wanted. Even Rex wasn’t completely sure.

_Information on Republic attacks? Yeah, that sounds about right._

Still, a small voice in his head told Rex that it wasn’t right. They wanted something else, he was sure of it. The things that witch Ventress had told him…

He shook his head. It didn’t matter at the moment. What _did_ matter was finding his men. And that was what he intended to do.

“Captain Rex, sir!” Jesse called out when he saw the clone captain run into the hangar. Men from both the 501st and the 212th were there and surrounded by droids. Rex began shooting at every droid he could hit from where he was standing and made his way over to the battalions so he could help them fight. He really was exhausted.

Cody noticed him and gave him a nod. “Good to see you safe, Rex,” he said, blasting a droid just in front of him without even looking.

Rex smiled. “Glad I could join the fun, _vod_.”

Taking out the droids was what Rex was best at, and it was what he had been born to do- quite literally. They continued blasting droid after droid, but there always seemed to be another one that took its place.

“There are too many of them!” Cried out a clone that Rex didn’t recognize, likely from Cody’s battalion.

Suddenly, there was Ahsoka, lightsabers out, slashing droids left and right. Rex smiled to himself. Though he hated to admit it to himself, he was glad that they had decided to rescue him after all. “We’ve got it under control!” She called back to the clones, just as General Kenobi came rushing in from the other corridor to help.

“Cody, Rex, get your men into the ships!” General Kenobi said, nodding his head towards the three shuttles that Rex assumed that the men had flown in on.

“Well, you heard the man! Let’s move it boys!” Cody announced, ordering his men back towards the shuttles. Rex obliged, walking backwards towards the shuttles as he continued blasting down the Separatist army.

Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he glanced to his left to see Ventress grabbing Oz. “Commander! We’ve got a problem!” Rex called out, turning his blasters to take aim at Ventress.

“I’m on it, Rex!” Ahsoka replied, running towards Ventress and Oz. “You get back to the ship!”

He didn’t like it, but he obeyed orders, finally turning around and running to the shuttle. He got into the shuttle just as the door closed, and just as Dooku showed up to help give Ventress and fighting chance.

_No!_

Rex couldn’t see anything anymore, just his men around him, looking just as worried as he was.

“She’ll be alright, Captain,” Fives told him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “The Commander is tough.”

Rex nodded, then stood up straight, trying to not let himself look as worried as he was. “Good to see you, Fives.”

The ARC trooper chuckled. “You too, sir. Even Echo and I were a but worried for you there. He was sure you’d been disintegrated on Felucia.”

“Come on now, I’m smarter than that.”

“Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean you’re as tough. I mean, if you were disintegrated, there wouldn’t be much you could do.”

Though any other clone might not like the conversation the two of them were having, Rex simply rolled his eyes. Sometimes he just assumed that Fives’ goal was to make every other clone as physically uncomfortable as possible. “Shut up, Fives.”

“Heh. Sir, yes sir.”

“What do you want with the clones, Ventress?” Ahsoka asked the witch, threatening her with her lightsaber. Oz was still in her grasp, but he didn’t say anything. He trusted his commander.

Ventress smirked. “The clones have information that will prove to be very useful for the Separatist Alliance,” she revealed, and Ahsoka could only wonder what information she was referring to.

“Commander!” Oz called out, and Ahsoka turned around just in time to catch Dooku’s red saber with her own green one.

Ventress ran, still holding onto Oz. “Master Kenobi!” Ahsoka called out, but it was too late. Master Obi-Wan was too busy with the droids, and Ventress was getting away. “No!”

Except, then she wasn’t. Suddenly, there was Anakin, rounding on her. He grabbed Oz, who immediately ran back towards the only shuttle left on the frigate, and both Ahsoka and Obi-Wan pulled away from their engagements. “We might wanna leave, like now,” Anakin said, trying to pull away from Ventress. “I set the entire frigate to explode in less than a minute.”

Dooku gave his apprentice a look, and she nodded, before immediately booking it for their own ship. “We have to get them!” Ahsoka called out, but Anakin shook his head.

“No, Ahsoka! We must leave! Now!” Master Kenobi scolded her, before retreating towards the shuttle.

Ahsoka groaned, but ultimately followed her master and her grandmaster.

Though their mission had technically been a success- they had rescued Rex and kept Ventress and Dooku from collecting whatever information they had been after- Ahsoka still felt like they had failed. Both Ventress and Dooku were still alive, and they might try again to capture a clone and gain information about the Republic that might be used to the benefit of the Separatists. It made Ahsoka uneasy.

“Hey, don’t worry, Snips,” Anakin said, sensing her unease. “We’ll get them next time,” he reassured her.

She sighed. “What did they want with Rex?” She asked. “With Oz?” The idea that either clone would give away some vital information of the Republic Ahsoka could hardly believe. Of course, she knew that neither Ventress nor Dooku would be afraid to use their mind tricks to get it out of them, but the idea disgusted her, nonetheless.

Master Obi-Wan sighed. “I fear that they may have been trying to gain access to Republic strategies. Perhaps the coordinates of some crucial hyperspace lanes. Anything that would have given them an advantage.”

Ahsoka knew that his words made sense, but it still didn’t answer some questions. “Why would they contact us, then?” She asked. “I mean, they had Rex. They could have done whatever they wanted to him. We assumed he was dead. We may have never gone looking for him. Why would they let us know that they had him before even gaining access to the information they wanted?”

“I guess it was just a trap to lure us in and kill us,” Anakin replied, and she knew he had been asking himself the same questions.

“I understand that, but it seems like it still would have made sense to get the information before luring us in. Besides, they should have known that they would be sending more than one jedi to get Rex, right?” None of it made sense. What did the Separatists want? “Besides, Oz wouldn’t have knowledge of anything top secret. He’s only a trooper. Only the higher-ranking men would have access to the secret information that you’re suggesting that they wanted.”

Master Kenobi stroked his beard, considering. “Yes, I see your point. Perhaps this was a warning.”

“A warning? What kind of warning?” Anakin asked.

The master looked at his former padawan for a moment, considering. “I’m not sure, but clearly, whatever information they were after lies in the heads of all clones. Perhaps this is bigger than what we think it is.”

The rest of the ride back to the _Resolute_ was ridden in silence.

Rex was in his office not long after the ship landed. Kix wanted him in the medbay so that he could tend to his injuries, but he was simply not in the mood to be poked and prodded at. He was exhausted. He needed rest. He needed a place to just… sit and think.

He flopped onto the small bed in his office and sighed. Nothing made sense to him. What exactly did the Separatists want from him? What did they want from Oz? Was Oz okay? Was Ahsoka?

He hadn’t realized he had dozed off until he was woken up by Ahsoka’s soft touch. “Commander?” He greeted, groggy and bleary-eyed.

She didn’t say anything, she just hugged him, her cheek against his pauldron (which he hadn’t even realized he had forgotten to take off. He was so used to sleeping in his armor that it almost felt natural at this point). He sighed and embraced her touch. This was certainly against protocol, but Rex found that he didn’t care. He enjoyed her warmth, and he found himself immediately comforted just by her presence.

“I was so worried about you, Rexter,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. He hoped she wasn’t crying because he certainly wasn’t trained in that.

“No need to worry, Littl’un,” he replied, smiling. “I wouldn’t have let them kill me,” he promised, though he didn’t know how true that statement was.

“Yeah but there were… other reasons to worry,” Ahsoka said, finally pulling away from him.

“Oh?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Like… why they wanted you in the first place. I’ve seen the Seppies take prisoners before, but usually it’s a jedi, not a clone. Why did they want you? Did they tell you what information they wanted from you?”

Rex thought back for a moment, then shook his head. “No, not really. Although, Ventress did mock my loyalty to the Republic. She could have just been trying to get me to talk, but it felt like there was a deeper meaning behind her words.”

“But you don’t know what she means?”

He shook his head. “It really could be anything. I have no idea what she was talking about.”

Ahsoka sighed, then rested her head against his chest plate. Rex wondered what her lekku felt like, then blushed at his inappropriate thought. She took his hand, and he looked away. He really hoped that no one walked in on him, because that would be hard to explain. This was certainly against regulations.

“What’s your opinion on the whole ‘no attachments’ part of the Jedi Code?” She asked.

 _Well,_ that _came out of nowhere._

“Sir?” Rex replied, trying his best to not break regulations.

“When we’re alone, it’s just Ahsoka, Rex,” she chuckled.

Rex cleared his throat. “Er… Ahsoka. I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask this question to,” he admitted, clearly feeling uncomfortable. “Maybe you should-“

“I asked for _your_ opinion, Rex,” she replied, sitting up now. “You’re my best friend. I know you’re not a jedi, but I wanted your opinion. I trust you enough to talk about these things with you. I don’t know that Master Skywalker would understand.”

He was flattered that he was her most trusted friend, but he still felt unsure. Though, he didn’t want to disappoint her, so he fumbled an answer out anyway. “Er… well… uh. I think the whole ‘no attachments’ thing is kind of stupid,” he admitted. “I mean, I understand that you’re supposed to be able to channel your emotions instead of embrace them or er… whatever. But you’re still a living being. You still have emotions. You shouldn’t have to hide them or just… pretend like you don’t have them. I think that would hurt someone more than just outwardly expressing emotions.”

Ahsoka smiled, apparently satisfied with his answer. “Yeah, I get what you’re saying.” She frowned a bit, then looked down, obviously thinking about something ( _or someone_ , Rex thought), before she stood up to leave. “You should get some sleep, Rex. You’ve had a long day. And please don’t forget to go see Kix. He’s worried to death about you.” He chuckled a bit, imagining his medic scrambling around in a panic to find him. “Oh, and by the way, Oz is okay.” She smiled back at him.

“Goodnight, Rex.”

“Goodnight, Commander.”

She crossed her arms. “Ahsoka.”

“Right.” _That may take some getting used to._ “Goodnight, Ahsoka.”


End file.
